So We Pulled Over

Tucson, Arizona

Ray Harryhausen

April 21, 2026 · Words and photographs by Michael Berglund

In the presence of artifacts from the land beyond beyond.
In the presence of artifacts from the land beyond beyond.

We are back in the U.S. and had to jaunt over to Tucson, AZ for a quick visit to a museum. (The Mini Time Machine Museum of Miniatures—A very cool place all on its own and worth a visit!) They are currently housing an exhibit of original Ray Harryhausen models, props, and illustrations from his films.

You are forgiven, casual travel-follower, if you don’t know who he is, but for me, I cannot overstate the influence this one individual has had on my whole creative life. Don’t take my word for it—just about every famous creator of the fantastic, George Lucas, Steven Spielberg, Guillermo Del Toro, Peter Jackson, and on and on would say the same. He is a titan of fantastic cinema.

I cannot overstate the influence this one individual has had on my whole creative life.
Creatures that launched a lifetime of making things.
Creatures that launched a lifetime of making things.
Ray Harryhausen, photograph 2
Ray Harryhausen, photograph 3
Ray Harryhausen, photograph 4
Ray Harryhausen, photograph 5
Ray Harryhausen, photograph 6
Ray Harryhausen, photograph 7
Ray Harryhausen, photograph 8
Ray Harryhausen, photograph 9
Ray Harryhausen, photograph 10
Ray Harryhausen, photograph 11
Ray Harryhausen, photograph 12

Seventh Voyage of Sinbad. Jason and the Argonauts. Clash of the Titans. Valley of Gwangi. These are the films in my youth that fired my synapses into creative overdrive and inspired me to make . . . well, pretty much everything I’ve ever done. He almost single handedly created all the fantastic creatures and special effects from those films and many more over a long, amazing career.

He passed away in 2013. I got a chance to meet him, shake his hand, and thank him in 1996. This traveling exhibit is in Tucson for only another week or so, so we just had to run over and be in the presence of these iconic and rare artifacts of the fantastic. The timing was excellent.

We are camped in Catalina State Park for the night, and did a little hiking. We will be heading to “BaseCamp” in Peoria AZ for some repairs, busywork, and socializing as we plan our next adventure.

So here are a selection of photos “From the land beyond beyond . . .”

Ray Harryhausen, photograph 1
Ray Harryhausen, photograph 2
Ray Harryhausen, photograph 3
Ray Harryhausen, photograph 4
Ray Harryhausen, photograph 5
Ray Harryhausen, photograph 6
Ray Harryhausen, photograph 7
Ray Harryhausen, photograph 8
Ray Harryhausen, photograph 9
Ray Harryhausen, photograph 10
Ray Harryhausen, photograph 11
Ray Harryhausen, photograph 12
Now: the Southlands
Morning—and southward
Next stop: Twain country
South along the river
One more night in town
And then the plan went sideways
Now turn up the music
Keep driving south

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